Teen Swimmer Breaks Park Tae-hwan's Korean Record in 100-m Freestyle

Teen swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo on Wednesday broke Olympic champion Park Tae-hwan's national record in the men's 100-m freestyle.

Hwang, 17, clocked a time of 48.25 seconds at a national team tryout in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province. The previous record of 48.42 seconds was set by Park, then aged 25, at the New South Wales State Open in Australia in February 2014.

Hwang's new record is the third best in the world so far this season, but far fewer swimming competitions have been held worldwide this year due to the coronavirus epidemic. He has easily passed the qualifying standard of 48.57 seconds for the Tokyo Olympics, which have been postponed until next year.

Hwang, who stands 186 cm tall and weighs 72 kg, has a better build for his age than Park, who at 17 was 181 cm and 68 kg.

Park also had a breakout year when he was 17, winning three gold medals in the men's 200-m, 400-m and 1,500-m freestyle at the Doha Asian Games in Qatar in December 2006. In March of the following year, Park won gold in the men's 400-m freestyle and bronze in the 200-m freestyle at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Australia.

Hwang is competing in the 200-m freestyle in the tryout on Thursday. His personal best this season is 1:46.31, compared to Park's national record of 1:44.80.